No injuries after suspected Walmart freon leak

No one was injured after a suspected freon leak last week led to the evacuation of the Whitfield Drive Walmart store in Columbus.

According to the Columbus Fire Department, the store on the east side of Columbus was temporarily closed and four employees were checked out after the leak at about 11:34 a.m. Friday morning. The affected area was in a storeroom refrigerator/freezer and was not accessible by the public. The employees were checked out by medics at the scene and then taken to the hospital for further evaluation, but none showed any signs of life-threatening injuries, firefighters say.

Columbus firefighters could find no signs of a freon leak and the store staff told firefighters that the refrigerant system’s alarms were all showing normal operations. But the store was closed for a full inspection.

The store was closed until about 4:30 p.m. Friday while the system was checked and repaired.